The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-06-17
Chr DAilN 9nllstIn.
FRIDAY. JUNE II, 1887
EUROPEAN AND fSiATlC RAILROAD
pR0JSCIS.

A French view pr, diets that in
perhaps ess than ten years woik
will have been commenced upon
railroad that is to connect Paris with
Picking. Startling at the stai ement
might seem, the facts ad,luced ly
the author of it seem To show that q
railroad route to China from Paris
through Asia is perfectly feasible.
From Paris to Ekaterinenberg, on
the Siberian frontier, is only 4, 100
kilometers and there Is depres-
sion in the chain of the Ural there
to a height of only $50 meters above
the sea level. Over this depression
the road could easily be carried into
the Siberian plain, and thence by
Omsk, Tomsk, Krasnoiarsk and
Kballar to the Monaghan frontier,
whence it could be carried south
wardly to Picking. From Ekater-
inenberg, on the Ural line to Peking
is $500 kilometers. The total dis
lance from Paris to Picking is, there
fore, reckoned at about $500 kilo-
meters-an easy journey of twelve
days by rail. After all the railroad
would not be much more difficult
undertaking than our own lines
across the United States from ocean
to ocean, and would be exposed to
not much worse strains of weather
and snow than what the Northern
Pacific occasionally suffers. Cross
ing the Mongolian Desert would be
the worst part of the journey; but
then there are other ways of carry
ing the road into China from Rus
sian railroad centers, or from q
Chinese center to Russian territory.
Shanghai could be connected with a
Russian line by the city of SIngau,
chief northwestern city of China {;
and the line could be thence carried
to the Chamul Oasis and beyond
into Kashgar and Yarkand, or to
Kulja.
The English have been most an
xious to secure direct communica-
ton between Europe and India, and
it is not improbable that some of
these projects will be realized. A
railroad, like that advocated by
Cameron from Tripoli, in Northern
Africa. TO Bushir, on the Persian
Gulf, would do much for Anglo
Oriental commerce-the maritime
journey from Bushr to Bombay
being very short. Russia las the
geographical advantage in regard to
possible direct communication with
China, and the commercial advan-
tagcs of line reaching The heart OF
that empire, to connect with posi-.
lie future system of Chinese roads,
cannot be overlooked. There may
however, be excellent strategic OF
political reasons for leaving it I'M
constructed till other questions arc
satisfactorily settled. England, or
the other hand, could reach China
through Brumah--and tap the com.
mercial centers of all the farther
Orient. There are great difficulties
in the way; but some closer connec.
ton with China would become i'm
perative should Russia take the first
great step in transasiatic railroad
enterprise.
Whatever be the future result O.
the ill-feeling between the two grea
European nations regarding Orienta
prcpondcrance, it is likely that boil
these projects, or others closet,
similar, will be eventually carriet
out, and that Asia will be yet a
well interlinked with Europe as OIL
Pacific Slope is connected with tn
New England States. Indeed, tn
great railroad era is yet to come
North America Is to send her line
. down to fork into all the Soutl
American republics, making an irol
path from the extreme north 10 tn
extreme south of the habitabl
world. Then, again. France is t.
build a road from Algeria to Tim
buctoo, over the desert, there t.
connect with another road fror
SanaroI I'm q Timps namocrot